Residents want to have a say in New Hartford park project

Thursday

Some residents questioned the government's support of a private developer at Wednesday night's public meeting to discuss collaboration in the New Hartford Business Park development.

NEW HARTFORD - Some residents questioned the government's support of a private developer at Wednesday night's public meeting to discuss collaboration in the New Hartford Business Park development.

The three taxing authorities - New Hartford Central School District, Oneida County and the Town of New Hartford - have decided to use the payment in lieu of taxes money to fund the $3.4 million Woods Highway project in order to support the new business park.

The town would bond for $2.9 million to pay for Woods Road/Route 840 intersection improvements and for reconstruction. The remaining will be funded through fees, officials said.

While officials say the PILOT payments would cover the town's debt-related service and there will be no tax burden on residents, Imperial Drive resident Cathy Lawrence was concerned residents will have no say in the matter, as there would be no public referendum in the first five years of the bond anticipation note.

“They have taken the vote out of people's hands,” she said.

After five years, there could be a public referendum on the matter, officials said. But Lawrence said by that time, the town would already have incurred significant debt.

Phase 1 of the 126-acre business park consists of The Hartford Insurance Project, an 80- to 100-room hotel and an office building. All three tenants will generate $5.2 million in tax revenue, which will offset the cost of Woods Road reconstruction. A balance of $1.28 million will be returned to the school district, the town and the county.

Councilman Robert Payne said there will be no burden to the taxpayer. and new development is a great way to retain jobs in the area.

“This is exciting. If you offer a community the retail that we have, the business that we have, … (new residents and businesses) will come,” he said.

Officials also said the long-range benefits accruing from this arrangement will help the region's economy and will help keep the Hartford Group, which will consolidate its operations at the new site, in the area and along with it about 600 jobs.

But Frank Montecalvo questioned the reasoning. With the region's declining population, he is afraid the residents will have to bear the additional cost of supporting new development, he said.

“I am not convinced this is economic activity,” he said. “It's sprawl. Ultimately, it is going to raise our costs.”

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